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Celebrating 150 years of service to South Carolina and the Nation

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District's 150th Anniversary

Since its founding in 1871, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District has been at the forefront of modern engineering. Initially charged with construction of Forts Johnson, Moultrie and Sumter and the jetties, Charleston District has responded to changing defense requirements and played an integral role in the region and nation’s development. Throughout the 19th century, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built coastal fortifications, surveyed harbors and waterways, eliminated navigation hazards, and constructed buildings across the country. Today, the district designs and oversees engineering solutions for South Carolina, the military and the nation and has unique and varied programs, including Civil Works, Navigation, Regulatory, Emergency Management, Military and Interagency and International Services.

In March 2021, the Charleston District will celebrate its 150th anniversary and 200 years of service to the region. Throughout the year, this site will be further populated to bring you the full history of the Corps in Charleston and ways that you can engage with the District. Be on the lookout for events, activities, celebrations and much more.

By the Numbers

150th Anniversary Time Capsule Commemoration Ceremony March 26

150th Anniversary Time Capsule Commemoration Ceremony

Senior Charleston District leaders, local media and the City of Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg gathered outside U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District headquarters March 26 to fill a time capsule commemorating the District's 150-year history of service to the state and nation.

150 Years in the Lowcountry

1670- FIRST REGIONAL SETTLEMENT

English travelers make their first permanent settlement in the region on the coast. The settlement was known as Charles Towne.

1821- FIRST VISIT TO CHARLESTON

Expeditionary U.S. Army Corps of Engineers teams led by military officers begin making regular visits to the Charleston region to oversee the construction of Forts Moultrie and Johnson, survey other defense sites and manage erosion projects along the Charleston Harbor.

1820s- FORTS MOULTRIE, JOHNSON & SUMTER

Construction of Forts Moultrie and Johnson begin. South Carolina challenges the federal government’s seizure of the Charleston Harbor shoal, delaying official construction of Fort Sumter until 1841. Fort Sumter, a five-sided, five-foot-thick masonry walled fortress, towering as high as 50 feet above low water, is completed in 1860. During this time, expeditionary engineers also help survey and design the region’s first railroad.

1851- FIRST HARBOR DEEPENING

Using hydraulic dredges, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins expanding and deepening the Charleston Harbor. Charleston Harbor later becomes one of the nation’s 17 strategic ports.

1871- CHARLESTON DISTRICT FOUNDED

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers establishes permanent roots in the Charleston area. During Reconstruction, the District expands its civil works program and helps the City of Charleston establish the harbor as a modern-day port. For more than 140 years, the District has maintained Charleston Harbor, dredging it every year since.

1882- NORTH & SOUTH JETTIES

To funnel tidal flow and improve navigation, Col. Quincy Gillmore, Charleston District’s first district engineer, begins construction of the north and south jetties along Sullivan’s and Morris Islands. The jetties are composed of riprap stones resting on a mattress of logs and brush. Construction completes in 1895. During this time, Gillmore also clears the harbor of sunken Civil War ships, making the harbor more stable and accessible.

1914-1945- WWI & WWII DEFENSE MISSION

In response to the First and Second World War, Charleston District acquires a new defense mission and helps build new military training posts across South Carolina: Camp Sevier in Greenville, Camp Wadsworth in Spartanburg, Camp Jackson in Columbia and the Army Depot in North Charleston.

1932- INTRACOASTAL TRAVEL

Through a system of protected coastal channels, Charleston District constructs the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in South Carolina, providing the state with a safe channel for military and commercial vessels. The AIWW also connects states along the East Coast through a safe, navigable channel. The project is completed in 1940.

1940- DEFENSE WORTHY AIRPORTS

The District builds and expands eight airports, including three Army Air Corp bases and airfields in Charleston, Columbia, Anderson, Spartanburg, Sumter, Florence, Georgetown and Charlotte. Some of these airfields have evolved into modern-day public airports.

1968- ST. STEPHEN POWERHOUSE DAM

Construction of the St. Stephen Powerhouse Dam, a rediversion canal connecting Lake Moultrie to the Santee River and a hydroelectric power plant, is authorized by Congress. Today, the project reduces sedimentation in the Charleston Harbor from 10 to 2 million cubic yards, saving taxpayers millions in annual dredging costs. The plant also supplies power to more than 40,000 homes, and its fish lift passes 750,000 fish every year.

1980-90s- SHORELINE PROTECTION

In 1986, Folly Beach is authorized as a federal shoreline protection project. The Grand Strand area is approved as a federal project in 1996. Today, Charleston District regularly re-nourishes more than 30 miles of shoreline in Myrtle and Folly Beach.

1989- HURRICANE HUGO REPAIRS

Charleston District is among the first on the scene — within 48 hours of a hurricane or natural disaster — to ensure structures and waterways are safe to reopen. The District also makes repairs to the Ben Sawyer Bridge, which had toppled into the AIWW, within just two weeks — allowing residents on Sullivan’s Island to return home.

2000- MOVE TO THE CASTLE

Charleston District relocates its headquarters to a building on the Citadel campus which closely resembles the design of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers logo: a castle.

2000s- NATIONAL ICE MISSION

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides disaster response and recovery support to FEMA and the nation through temporary housing construction, contracting support and management assistance. In the early 2000s, this support expanded as Charleston assumes a national FEMA mission to deliver ice to areas devastated by a natural disaster. The program ends several years later, as states gradually assume the responsibility.

2003- INTERAGENCY & INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

IIS, a program allowing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide technical assistance to non-Department of Defense federal agencies, state and local governments, and other organizations, becomes a larger part of the Charleston District program delivery. Among others, the District portfolio includes work for the Veterans Administration, Department of Energy and Department of State.

2008- MORRIS ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE

To prevent further erosion and provide structural support to Morris Island Lighthouse, a Charleston-area icon, Charleston District constructs a cofferdam. Originally constructed a mile inland along the coast of Folly Beach, the historic lighthouse is now surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.

2008- FORT JACKSON MISSION

Charleston District reassumes responsibility of military construction projects on Fort Jackson. The program covers new construction and renovation of headquarters offices, barracks, dining facilities and much more. Fort Jackson is the Army’s major hub for Basic Training, training roughly half of the all incoming Soldiers and more than 45,000 Soldiers every year.

2018- POST 45 DEEPENING PROJECT

The Charleston Harbor Post 45 Deepening Project officially begins construction, taking the harbor’s greatest depths from 45 to 52 feet. Once complete, the project will make Charleston the deepest harbor on the East Coast. The project begins as a feasibility study in 2011 and is the nation’s first large navigation study completed under the new Civil Works SMART planning process.

2020- STUDYING COASTAL STORM RISKS

Through important feasibility studies like the Charleston Peninsula Coastal Flood Risk Management Study and the regional South Atlantic Coastal Study, Charleston District investigates the risks of coastal storm events on the Charleston peninsula and communities across South Carolina and partners with organizations at all levels to develop potential long-term solutions.

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